Kavekk the Ludicrous wrote:
It's not the most dazzlingly offensive Brazilian team, but the Netherlands are playing like an England squad only a bit better, which is to say scrappy, boring and over-reliant on headers.
I have a soft spot for Holland anyway, so it might skew my judgement. But I do think they're playing better and better as the tournament goes on. Robben is getting close to full fitness, and he's the kind of player that can win a game single handedly, especially one as close as the semis. Their defense is weak, Van Bronckhorst is a bit of a joke, but their midfield and attack are world-class. Their bench is pretty good too.
Brazil could have gone further, but I think Dunga got it wrong. Playing with two defensive midfielder, when you're Brazil, is far too conservative. Even against NK they had 2 parked in front of their defence. I know the full backs attack a lot, but still, they only really had 3 purely offensive players. And Kaka was the Real Madrid Kaka, not the AC Milan one.
I don't think it's that much of a loss. Argentina, for one, have been far more exciting on so many levels. In case you missed it,
here's Maradona a couple of days ago denying he's gay, and
here he is smoking a cigar during a training session. Awesome or what...